Wandance

As Kaboku "Kabo" Kotani enrolls in Ichiran High School, he hopes to spend his high school days quietly to avoid standing out from everyone else because of his stuttering. While his friends join the school's basketball club, he looks to the dance club instead. However, due to an embarrassing memory from middle school, Koba has avoided dancing in front of others again, keeping him from joining the club.

Things begin to change when Kabo spots his cute classmate Hikari Wanda dancing. As the two learn about each other, Wanda admits that she is not great with words either and prefers to express herself with her performances. This sparks a light in Kabo, and he decides to join the dance club despite his uncomfortable past. With Wanda and his new clubmates supporting him, Kabo sets out to improve his dancing, express himself freely, and create unforgettable memories one step at a time.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Wanda, Hikari Main

Youmiya, Hina Japanese

Kotani, Kaboku Main

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Miyao, On Supporting

Suwa, Ayaka Japanese

Itsukushima, Iori Supporting

Masuda, Toshiki Japanese

Kabeya, Gaku Supporting

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Takumi, Usen Supporting

Hayashi, Yuu Japanese

Ishikawa, Rin Supporting

Chikasada, Tsukino Japanese

Shimoda, Hitomi Supporting

Watanabe, Yui Japanese

Hoto Supporting

Kobayashi, Daiki Japanese

Ogi Supporting

Tachibana, Tatsumaru Japanese

Yoshida, Yuuki Producer

Yonezawa, Akira Producer

Sawada, Airi Producer

Itou, Sumire Producer

Reviews

Dec 24, 2025

Marinate1016

Recommended

Getting it out the way early, I like Wandance. Yes, the CGI sucks and looks wonky, yes it takes getting used to. No, that didn’t turn me off from the show. I like the characters, I like the story, learning about dancing, the choreography, the music, etc. As a k-pop/j-pop stan, this was fun. Riehata, the legendary dance producer who’s worked with BTS and other big name groups being involved in this is crazy. It’s not going to be for everyone because a lot of people aren’t able to get past the CGI and that’s fair. It does look like a wonky PS2 cutscene 95 ... percent of the time and I understand it being a dancing anime means animation is extremely important. I just prioritize the other parts of the story so it wasn’t the end all be all for me. The two leads’ growth both as individuals and a team was really cool, I loved the supporting characters’ personalities and dance styles and I found Kabo’s journey from having no formal dance training to competing among the best and brightest very inspirational. It’s one of those stories that probably works better in live action format just because of how CGI heavy it would have to be as an anime, but I still enjoyed the anime for what it is. If you have any interest in the modern pop, especially J/K-pop industry or dance choreography in general, I definitely recommend going into this with an open mind. Plus, one of the star girls of the year in Wanda, so no brainer.

I think it’s technically fair to classify this as a sports anime since competitive dance is a sport in a sense. The best sports anime to me are those where the MCs journey feels believable. It’s not just a straight shot to the top, but one where they face adversity, two steps forward, one step back. Improvement at your craft is rarely a straight line, it’s full of ups and downs and setbacks and requires you to stay focused and committed. Seeing Kabo go from having basically no experience in organized dance to one of the best in his age category feels satisfying because we get to see him putting the work in, having success, failing, learning from those failures and growing as a dancer. The connections he makes enable him to improve and see things from others’ perspectives, picking up on various techniques from the people he comes across. Kabo in general feels like an MC you want to root for. The way he uses dance to help him deal with his speech impediment and express himself in a way he’s always wanted to is really cool as well. I love a good underdog story and this ticks all my boxes.

Kabo’s relationship with Wanda is another big thing for me. Wanda is such a cool and beautiful character, but the way she develops this rapport on and off the dance floor with Kabo is really heartwarming. She is someone who seemingly has everything going for her and he’s the shy awkward kid with a stutter, but she ends up learning just as much from Kabo as he does from her, not to mention all the encouragement and inspiration he ends up giving her just by leading with his example. As dance partners, you can see them unlocking each other’s full potential in several performances throughout the season. “Soulmates” is kind of cliche, but it really does feel like these two were born to meet and dance with each other. Being around each other is the only time they’re ever truly 100 percent comfortable and able to be themselves. There’s obvious romantic undertones, but the show doesn’t prioritize that. For now, the biggest thing is seeing them both improve as dancers and as individuals during this pivotal moment in their lives. PLUS, Wanda is one of the most beautiful characters of the year. I will miss her.

The elephant in the room is again the CGI. It’s awful and it’s very apparent. Around episode 3-4 I just started getting used to it so it didn’t faze me as much, but there’s a few scenes even later on where I kept thinking “there’s no way madhouse did this” and apparently I’m right, because they did outsource the 3DCGI. It’s really a shame that a series so heavily reliant on CGI for its subject matter couldn’t get halfway decent CGI. The 2D art looks great, I love the art style, it’s so bright and full of life, the 2D direction is good, the voice acting is good, the music bangs, although a few songs were reused to DEATH, generally speaking the OST slaps. It’s really a solid show other than the CGI and that’s why the score is what it is.

Even with the technical issues, the positives far outweigh the negatives with Wandance for me. I had a blast watching this show and enjoyed learning about dance fundamentals and the level of completion within the medium. It was an eye opening inspirational journey. It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby or challenge yourself to apply a new skill. I’ll be rooting for Kabo for as long as this series goes on and can’t wait to start reading the manga. I’m also looking forward to the live action adaptation which should be PERFECT for this series. Wanda, you’ll always be famous too.

Wandance gets 8 out of 10

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 24, 2025

KANLen09

Mixed Feelings

Wandance - I want to Won a dance that's great and stylish...just not the way that works, like watching aliens move.

When was the last time that a dance truly captivated you? Is it something that at first sets it up like a routine and then slowly transforms into quite the show that is just *chef's kiss* perfect and then slowly leaves you wanting more? And most certainly when referring the trend back to the AniManga industry, we've seen series that put performing arts on the map come and go, and for the most part, the niche theme itself has almost a success rate of at ... least making you feel good when you watch shows like Yuri!!! on Ice, or in the case of the most recent example, mangaka Tsurumaikada's Medallist, which had quite the edge going for it with the gamble for studio ENGI to blend 2D and 3DCG, for what I believe up to this point is just absolute cinema for what it is. Season 2's coming back next season, so get your skating boots ready for another round of magnificence!

...Oh wait, what was I talking about again? Ah yes, mangaka Coffee's Wandance (or Wondance, whichever you prefer), which...oh, which, in its original manga form, is just simply exquisite for some well-detailed hand-drawn art with quite the story going for it to showcase identity through speakeasy terms. The anime, however...let me just put it this way: if the manga is classy enough to showcase quality even in its art form, the anime is classy enough to show THAT same quality...with some of the most bizarre reason(s) that ultimately are classy but are pure injustice and an awful disservice to the source material that fans of the manga can easily cry foul for.

Sure, no one comes budding into life on Earth knowing what to do, because as humans ourselves, we live in a life that is rapidly changing as the times progress, so much so that the fateful decision to take up something like a sport or a hobby would prove to shape one of the most key-defining segments of our lives to grow alongside it. And for the MC of Ichirin High's 1st-year hobby, 2nd-year student Kaboku "Kabo" Kotani, he certainly lived up to those expectations, albeit with disabilities that shake his core confidence whenever he tries something new...something like dancing. Seeing the freedoms of expression when it comes to people doing their own dance styles is a charm that he sees is special and cool, and he could not take his eyes away, despite his disability of stuttering (of which the actual reference musician being Scatman John a.k.a. John Paul Larkin himself, that would capture the world with his instant hit song "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)," which makes his daily conversations stick out like a sore thumb. Still, for one life disability to be wrought on Kabo, when he thought that his stuttering would be his worst nightmare; nothing could prepare him for the world that he would face next—the world of dancing. Together with his classmate—the silver-haired Madonna Hikari Wanda, who serves as quite the contrast to Kabo—the world's a stage for those who want to fervently stand out in striking ways, as the couple would start the chasing of their lives to shake up the dancing floor and give not just a sense of identity but also of revitalization to the always-constantly-changing dancing landscape around them.

With Wandance being a sole character drama story of all things, it's where the source material excels best, and the anime at least is faithful to the adaptation in that aspect. The way that Kabo presents himself as a background character who can observe in a 3rd-person perspective and not just through his 1st-person view strikes out in a good way for an MC that doesn't try to be proud of himself and showcase that he's the central character for many reasons. In fact, I would say that he is quite the breath of fresh air when it comes to protagonists who are not afraid to show that they are integral to the plot but then also take the "one step forward, two steps back" rhetoric that allows them to take things in from an intrinsic perspective, which I feel is a trait that so few MCs have to exemplify themselves with, with the exception of those who thought to say that "I may be the MC, but I'm not perfect, as innocent as I may look." This is what separates the good from the bad, and as bad as Kabo's circumstances made him look like a fool when he tries to speak his mind through his "innocence," it also develops his character at the same time as he tries to do the same through his compensation for his body language to get his true feelings out, be it through posture, speech habits, and facial expressions. expressions that constantly run amok in his head. Now compare Kabo to Wanda, and they're both night and day when it comes to expressions. Wanda, by comparison, is a simple girl who flows like the wind, and wherever things will take her, she will go. And likewise with the notion of dancing, her fluidity in and of itself is not just her slim body package but also her insane flexibility as well, which makes her a front runner in a school of Average Joes who are also learning how to master the idea of dance and pave their own path with signature moves that are unique to almost everyone. Personally, I do quite like Kabo and Wanda's relationship as partners who can "get" each other when it comes to executing the dance repertories, and for good reason—that's more than their own "romance" story that they bargained for as time passes.

Even the side characters have much depth going for them, with the prominents of both Kabo and Wanda's school dance club that is the starting point for so many aspiring dancers in the making, despite the gender disparity that females have—that is, they are more keen to dancing than males, and vice versa depending on the environment. Both MCs are tutored by the dance club's president, On Miyao, and she quickly proves why she is the one to watch representing Ichirin High due to her versatile and seamless moves that anyone would have their eyes keen on. Eyes, being the human sense of sight here, because the only other male in the dance club, the Kabo-Wanda simila-similar 1st-year-similar Iori Itsukushima, has not just his sights on her but also aspirations to achieve more in his dance routines and techniques...just not in the dance club due to the gender ratio, which the bell curves to the ladies. Outside of Ichirin High, the dance movement is just as full of pizzazz and hype wherever the battle arenas are, and the battles themselves are intense in two ways: a blessing and a curse.

Let's get the blessings out of the way: with Wandance being a dance series with as much ratio, many references, and songs of dance-centric genres, the genres range as far as the source material can slap them in. So, it's a given where the anime shines in this regard, with original insert songs composed by a wide cast of music artists alongside music composer Naoki "naotyu" Chiba. They do help bring the dance vibes in, and for the most part, they do their duty to give the show its dancing roots and bops to click the "getting" feel as a whole. Even BE:FIRSTt's OP and ELSEE's ED is OK at best and nothing special, especially the latter with TeddyLoid's help.

The ultimate curse for the anime, when all the good has been said and done, is the animation...or rather, a production of dual efforts that will have your eyes rolling. While on the one hand, you can have faith in Madhouse for delivering great 2D animation that's as expected from the studio's reputation, the one jarring aspect of the entire show in general has got to be the obvious 3DCG that's done in collaboration with Cyclone Graphics. And if you didn't know any better, you need not look further than who is sitting in the director's chair for this series — Michiya Kato, who also serves as the representative and president for the 3DCG production company. In fact, all that Cyclone Graphics is known for is through its screenplays and VFX stunts, which, alongside the world-renowned "Queen of Swag" Japanese-Filipino choreographer and dancer RIEHATA, should've been a recipe for success for Wandance as a whole. What we got instead was, well...quite the mess and an exercise in trying to blend 2 rather different visual effects together. A dance series that relies on choreography to make the dances seem strong also requires the animation to blend seamlessly with it. But how Cyclone Graphics managed to overlay its rather jarring 3DCG dance fluidities of human expressions, poses, and actions into 2D just doesn't translate as well as it should, which leads to the severe negative hammering of the anime as a whole.

Wandance/Wondance is, like some other shows from the Fall 2025 season, a tale of two sides featuring both good and bad. There's no doubt that mangaka Coffee has managed to create a series that's both unique and striking that deserves praise from source material readers thanks to compelling characters and beautiful hand-drawn art. But in the translation to the anime, the action segments are replaced by lifeless and rather stupendous VFX that will have some of you lamenting and thinking that it's done by AI. It's a gamble turning something into a creative vision that the AniManga industry has not seen yet, but Wandance is the classic example of the ONE lesson that even the higher-ups have not quite drilled into their heads: risk it all, but make sure the reward is enough to make a profit for everyone.

In a simpler way, it's Medallist, but with crappy 3D animation that bites you out of the dance feel.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 24, 2025

dazedcowcow62

Not Recommended

Wandance (TV Anime) — Why bother defending Madhouse? Just read the manga while listening to the soundtracks.

2025 has become a year where many anime smoothly blend 3DCGI character models with 2D animation, such as "Rock Is a Lady's Modesty," "BanG Dream: Ave Mujica," "Apocalypse Hotel," "Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray," "Tougen Anki," and even "Medalist" by the infamous Studio ENGI. Even "Blue Orchestra Season 2" and the movie "Hateshinaki Scarlet" are considered on the good side of 3DCGI. However, studio Madhouse decided to bring back the "CGI ruins anime and needs to be gone for good" stereotype through Wandance by teaming up with the CGI studio ... Cyclone Graphics.

First, a shout-out to Japanese underground music, especially hip hop, house, and electronic scenes. Their inclusion in the anime is a massive win. Wandance has undoubtedly provided a valuable platform for these obscure music producers and rappers to show off the quality of their music through all the dances portrayed in the anime.

Wandance introduced you to Kaboku Kotani, a high school boy struggling with a stutter, who wished to be part of the school's dance club but chose not to because of his embarrassing moments in middle school. However, Kabo's concern about dancing started fading away after he met a beautiful girl in the high school named Hikari Wanda, who appeared to be talented at dancing.

Since the anime had to be tied up with "Performing Arts," which was modern breakdance, it would be normal if most of the plot resonated only in the dancing. In fact, there were no "Romance" and "Drama" in the genre tag, so no matter how excellent the execution of both aspects was, they should be treated as bonuses, not as core judgements. Therefore, it was understandable that many people were disappointed by the poor quality of the CGI dances. They are just beyond awful. The 3D models do not even look like the characters!

"This is Madhouse; the 2D animations still slap."
The visuals are obviously appealing, yes. However, even without talking about those horrendous CGI animations, the 2D animations were no redemption at all, as still frames and slideshows were easily noticed in every episode.

In conclusion, Wandance is a bad representation of what should be a good year for 3DCGI use in anime. The soundtrack album would be an easy 9/10 in both Albumoftheyear and Rateyourmusic, but since it is anime, voice acting and music are not enough to save this disastrous adaptation. As said before, just read the manga and buy or stream the soundtrack album. If Wandance is lucky enough to receive a sequel, the production team better carefully choose the 3DCGI studio.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of Fall 2025 titles with an accompanying promotional video, commercial, teaser, or trailer. This post will be u...read more

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	Poll: Wandance Episode 12 Discussion godzilla9637 - Dec 24, 2025	47 replies	by KM_31 »» 2 hours ago
	Poll: Wandance Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Oct 8, 2025	127 replies	by Tamer2002 »» 6 hours ago
	Everyone, believe me — I’ve found a major source of this animation’s CGI issues, and I managed to fix it easily. After the fix, the dance looks much better. wefoionw - Dec 4, 2025	12 replies	by GreenDLight »» Yesterday, 2:11 PM
	Live-action adaptation has been officially announced AkeZZZ - Dec 22, 2025	10 replies	by Lylaaz »» Jan 7, 6:00 PM
	Poll: Wandance Episode 3 Discussion Suginami85 - Oct 22, 2025	46 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Jan 2, 10:59 AM